With You Here
by lightmeup-letmeburn
Summary: No matter how much she tried, Evie could never get as popular as she wanted to be, instead finding that her attempts to please everyone only resulted in her being ignored or bullied. However, when Mal becomes a bigger part of her life, becoming more than just an enemy, their growing relationship teaches Evie that she never really needed everyone's attention. All she needed was Mal.


Auradon. The land where dreams come true.

That's where Evie had believed everything would finally change for her. In Auradon, she would do everything to make her mother proud, something she seemed to have failed in already given the way her mother treated her every time she came home with the same news. She felt like the news that the King had asked her specifically to attend Auradon Prep for the year was the universe giving her another chance to become the woman her mother had always wanted her to be. On the Isle, no one ever paid any attention to her, unless it was to hurt her in some way, but in Auradon… in Auradon they had never seen someone like her, and she prayed that would be advantageous.

At least, that's what she had been hoping, but now, as she sat in something referred to as a 'limo' with three other Isle kids being transferred to Auradon Prep like her, she was having her doubts. Her mother had led her to believe that she was lucky getting selected by the King himself, led her to believe that she was _special_ , but each time she allowed herself to sneak glances at the others chosen she couldn't help but think her mother had been lying, or had been fooled into believing Evie was special.

Carlos de Vil, of all the kids on the Isle, was also being taken to Auradon; the little boy who was terrified of dogs and only ever talked to the machinery he was always tinkering with. Jay, Jafar's son, the Prince of Thieves, was already eying the various unknown items the vehicle they rode in offered them, no doubt wondering how much of it he could steal without tipping off the driver that anything was missing. Then there was Mal. _Of course, Mal would get an invite,_ Evie thought bitterly, rolling her eyes subtly as she averted her attention from the others to grab a strange looking edible, bright-blue, sugary, and hard-as-a-rock.

Mal was the envy of every villain kid on the Isle: one either wanted to avoid her or _be_ her. Evie certainly fit more nicely into the first category because - when Mal even bothered to pay attention to her - their interactions _never_ ended well for her. When Mal wanted something, she got it; when Mal wanted someone to do something for her, that person did exactly what she wanted; when Mal decided someone wasn't worth even a glance, that person no longer had anyone on their side. She was the ultimate power on the Isle, sometimes even more ruthless than her mother, meaning it was probably the worst decision ever made in history to allow her into Auradon, yet here she was because _of course_ she was chosen by the King.

It was Mal's presence that worried Evie the most. If she couldn't top Mal on an island of misfits and villains, how was she supposed to beat her in Auradon? She got her answer as soon as the four of them stepped out of the limo into Auradon's sight; she wasn't.

She _couldn't._

Mal was her roommate. Evie wasn't sure why she was surprised to figure that out, but it still came as a shock to her when the nerdy boy led them both to the same room, calling it ' _theirs_ '; she didn't like that word.

The room is beautiful, of course, it is. They're in _Auradon._ But Mal seemed to have a completely different idea altogether about the room, the barely audible ' _gross_ ' slipping from her lips alerting Evie to her thoughts. When Mal moved over to pull the curtains closed on one side of the room, Evie said nothing, instead using her time to close the other set of curtains, knowing it was beneficial to just let Mal have whatever she wanted. She didn't want to fight, and she certainly didn't want this to end in a competition between them like it had been on the Isle ever since Evie had failed to invite Mal to her birthday party. After the sunlight was banned from entering the room, Evie made her way over to one of the already made beds, reaching down to run her fingers over the material of the sheets that covered the mattress - they were the softest thing she had ever touched.

That's when Mal spoke to her for the first time since shoving her away from Maleficent's staff.

"Which bed do you want?"

"Hm?" Evie hummed weakly, not convinced her voice wouldn't fail her if she attempted to speak to the wickedly mischievous girl. She was aware it made her seem unintelligible.

She turned, and found sea-green eyes watching her curiously, as if getting a read on her. But where Evie expected a snappy response, she got only a slight laugh. "Which bed do you want?"

Her first thought was that this was all a joke. Mal, the daughter of Maleficent, the girl who had worked for so long at ruining her life and reputation, _couldn't_ be offering her the chance to make a decision that impacted both of them. Evie chose not to respond verbally, instead answering the question by merely motioning at the bed she stood near. She watched as Mal nodded her acknowledgment of the claim, deciding to look away when she realized that Mal wasn't going to stop staring at her. _What's wrong with her? What is she planning?_

"You know, I always pegged you for a pampered princess who talked every time there was someone within earshot," Mal announced casually, her voice giving the impression that she lacked interest, but her eyes saying something else entirely. "I guess it's been a while since I've last seen you."

 _About two years;_ but Evie wasn't counting. Well, maybe she was, but only because she had been keeping track of how long she had gone with everyone in Dragon Hall pretending as though she didn't exist, even when she tried conversing with them. It was all because of Mal; the girl having decided the first day Evie had stepped foot into the same school as her that she would exact her revenge for something that had happened nearly ten years earlier.

"I guess it has," Evie muttered under her breath, hoping Mal would leave it at that.

She did.

Immediately, Chad Charming had caught Evie's attention. Attractive _and_ a prince. It had been made clear the second he had laid eyes on Mal that Ben wasn't an option, so she supposed Chad would have to do. It wasn't herself she needed to please after all, but her mother, and, for her, as long as he was a prince she didn't care who Evie ended up with.

She showed off in front of the entire class to please him, proving the teacher wrong about thinking a villain kid wouldn't know chemistry, and it worked; she had his attention. A note telling her to meet him under the bleachers letting her believe she was on the correct path. The nerdy boy that had shown them to their dorms protested - Doug, she thinks his name is - warning her that Chad wasn't worth it, that he would only use her until he felt satisfied then leave.

She didn't listen, she couldn't. It was never about what _she_ wanted, only what her mother wanted of her, and her mother would want her to find her way into this prince's heart.

At the specified time, she waited under the bleachers. He showed up late, but she didn't mind.

"Are all the girls on the Isle as pretty as you?"

It was the first thing he said, and she forced herself to play the lovestruck school-girl, smiling down at the ground, looking every bit the part she played. "I like to think I'm the fairest of them all."

The conversation didn't last long, and she didn't even get to kiss him before he was handing her his backpack so she could complete his homework. She agreed, of course she did. Then Doug was in front of her, and she was shrugging off his awkward attempts at flirting to hurry back to her dorm to do Chad's homework for him, hoping it would give her the chance to get his full attention later.

Things were finally looking good for her.

"Ugh! That _prince_ really needs to learn when to stop!"

Mal burst into their shared room, slamming the door behind her and making her way over to Evie's bed and collapsing onto it; Evie didn't tell her that it wasn't her bed. Glancing up from the chemistry homework she was working through for the second time, she quickly scanned the way Mal laid - on her back, with legs hanging off the mattress and her eyes shut tightly. She decided the girl was working through something in her head and didn't need any distractions, so she simply went back to Chad's homework. However, her lack of response seemed to get her attention instead of avoiding it.

Sitting up, Mal squinted at her as if it would help her figure out what she was doing. "What are you doing?"

"Chad's homework," Evie answered bluntly, not even glancing up from the paper.

"Are you _serious?_ " Mal questioned, sounding bewildered.

Evie nodded. "Mmhm."

" _Why?_ " Mal stressed that she wanted an answer, and Evie sighed, knowing she'd have to give her one.

" _Because_ …" Evie emphasized the first word, letting Mal know the interruption to her work wasn't appreciated. Still, she didn't look at the girl. "… he was swamped with work and needed help to free up his time."

"Again, I ask, ' _why'?_ "

Evie groaned lightly, setting down her pencil and bringing her gaze to lock with Mal's. She saw real confusion in them and knew it would be best if she kept her response relaxed, but just couldn't manage it. "So he has time to spend with _me._ "

At this, Mal snorted her laughter. "Seriously? _That's_ why you're doing his homework?"

"Yes," Evie confirmed, retrieving her pencil. "Now, if you don't mind…"

"Boyfriends are overrated," Mal interrupted, either not knowing what Evie had been about to say or not caring.

"And how would you know, Mal," Evie knew she shouldn't be talking to Mal like this, but she couldn't stop herself in the moment. She _really_ needed to finish Chad's homework, or she would never be given the chance to steal his heart. "You've never had one."

"That's because I don't _need_ one," Mal brushed off the insult, eyes blazing brighter than Evie had ever seen them. She must have touched a nerve. "And you don't either."

"I would really appreciate if you stopped pretending you know me."

Mal opened her mouth to snap back, but closed it just as quickly, coaxing a satisfied smile into Evie's features due to her triumph over Mal.

Noticing how late it was, Evie tucked everything away into Chad's bag to worry about tomorrow before getting to her feet and heading over to her side of the room. Opening her cupboard, she pulled out her sleep clothes and lifted her hand to unzip her jacket. It was only after she had shrugged the heavy material off her shoulders and down to her wrists that she noticed the gaze burning a hole through her back. She figured the girl was just angry with her for the words she had said, but when the feeling of her gaze didn't leave when she reached for the hem of her shirt, Evie stopped what she was doing and turned to face the girl.

"Do you mind?" Evie asked, taking note of the fact that Mal had stood up.

"Not at all," Mal replied immediately, leaning against the post of her bed and crossing her arms over her chest. She was staring at her again in the same way she had been the night before, her eyes glistening and the corners of her mouth shifting upward. "Go ahead."

Evie felt her cheeks heating from the look in Mal's eyes; it was a look she wasn't familiar with. She didn't like the way she enjoyed it. "It's disrespectful to stare."

"And since when have _I_ ever been concerned with being respectful?"

It was a fair point, and Evie couldn't think of anything else to say, so she settled for turning back around to face away from the fiery girl in order to obscure the deep blush of embarrassment now spreading over her skin as she began undressing under the girl's watchful gaze. The next thing Mal said took Evie completely by surprise, and she wasn't entirely sure she hadn't imagined it.

"You don't have to hide," Mal's voice was soft, almost as if she were fond of Evie. "You're beautiful."

But when Evie glanced over her shoulder, Mal was no longer watching her. _You don't have to hide. You're beautiful._

 _This_ was definitely a joke, she decided, but something inside of her - just the smallest piece - actually _believed_ Mal when she told her she was beautiful.

Turns out, Doug was right. Chad's only intention had been to use her to get better grades. He always asked her to do his homework to free his schedule, but he never had time for her, and when Audrey decided he was her new boyfriend he had been overjoyed at the knowledge, completely forgetting about Evie.

Maybe things _weren't_ looking good for her.

After that, she quickly became known as the girl who cheated. Chad told the teacher how she had been using her magic mirror and told his friends that she had been doing all of his homework, basically begging for his attention. She became what everyone was laughing at, making fun of, and once again she found herself on the opposite end of the spectrum than she wanted to be.

It all seemed pointless now, trying to become the center of everyone's attention in a positive light. On the Isle, she was the conceited girl who cared only about how her hair looked who wasn't worth a single penny; in Auradon, she was the villain kid who cheated to pretend she was intelligent and groped desperately for boys' attention by being willing to do anything for them.

Now, she found herself actively avoiding everyone's attention; she no longer did Chad's homework, she no longer spoke a single word to Doug, no longer gave Mal even a second glance when they were in their room together, and she no longer tried to get anyone else's attention. She kept entirely to herself, her head lowered and her gaze locked on her own feet.

After filling her tray with food, she headed for the table farthest from the main crowd of students, trying desperately to avoid the eyes following her as she passed. She sat down with her back to the rest of the students eating lunch, setting her bag by her feet and placing her elbows on the table, completely ignoring her food as she attempted to keep herself from crying. _I'm a villain. The daughter of the Evil Queen. I shouldn't cry. I shouldn't show weakness._ But she couldn't help it even after her small pep-talk. She wanted back on the Isle because it had been easier there. She would have never considered that the kids in Auradon were even on the same level as the villainous kids on the Isle, but now she knew them for who they truly were, and they were _worse_ than the Isle kids.

When she dared a glance over her shoulder, she saw that Prince Ben was sitting down at the same table as Mal, and she quickly turned away again when she noticed that Mal's gaze was on her. Before, she would have been furious that Mal was clearly thriving while she suffered, the girl clearly having trapped the soon-to-be King in her web, but she didn't have it inside of her to even feel the slightest amount of anger. There was only room for the sorrow brought on by her disappointment in herself.

She had been so trapped in her thoughts that she nearly hadn't noticed the sudden quiet that fell over the entire area, but she found her way back to reality just in time to hear someone gasp in utter horror and whisper something along the lines of, ' _how could she say that to him?'_.

Evie had no idea what she had missed, and she knew no one would tell her if she asked, so she rested her chin in her hand and began picking mindlessly at the food on her plate. Not even a minute later, a leg brushed against her arm as someone stepped over the table's bench and dropped into the place next to her. Startled and worried that something terrible was about to happen to her again, she looked up and to her left, her heart stopping in her chest when she was locked into sea-green eyes, finding something inside of them that reeled her into the depths of a color Evie was suddenly finding herself extremely fond of. _No,_ she hissed at herself; _stop that! You can't let your guard down with her._

That's when Mal leaned into her until her lips were pressing into her ear. "Want to ditch the rest of the day and go somewhere people aren't watching?"

Pulling away from the girl, Evie looked into her eyes in search of the well-concealed lie, or a hint that there was an ulterior motive behind the question, but all she found was that same look she had noticed the first night they had been in Auradon, nearly a month ago. The meaning behind that look tugged on Evie's mind, but still she couldn't quite grasp what it was. Whatever it was, though, it had her nodding, agreeing to Mal's offer. With a bright smile, Mal stood and pulled Evie up with her, and Evie simply followed as if in a trance, completely enthralled in the girl and willing to follow her anywhere in that moment if it meant getting away from the judging and hateful stares.

Strangely, it almost felt comfortable to be walking alongside Mal, like they had been friends this entire time instead of enemies recently forced together. She had no idea why Mal had been being kind to her ever since they moved to Auradon, but she couldn't help feeling as though there was something she was missing when it came to the purple-haired girl. However, in this moment, she chose to ignore that feeling in favor of relishing in the sense of security she oddly felt due to the girl's presence next to her, comfort pumping through her every time their arms brushed together.

It was only after they had found themselves several miles away from the school that Evie came out of the trance to face reality and realized that she had gotten herself into a terrible situation; out in the middle of nowhere with the girl who had been after her since her birthday party. It didn't matter that Mal had been treating her differently, she was still the girl who had shoved her in a closet filled with traps and tried to trick her into grabbing the staff that would put her to sleep for thousands of years. A small part of her told her that the fact that Mal had chosen to grab the staff instead proved that she didn't truly wish ill of her, but she still couldn't help but remember the intentions the girl had originally had for her. Panic grasped at her with the knowledge that there was no one nearby to stop Mal from hurting her - not that anyone would intervene to help her anyway - and she began hyperventilating, tears welling in her eyes to break free and streak her face as she stopped walking.

Mal's steps faltered, and she turned around fully to face Evie, a quizzical look masking her features. The look in her eyes quickly changed to that of concern when she saw the state Evie was in, but Evie didn't allow her to get out what she had been opening her mouth to say.

"Are you going to hurt me?" Evie blurted out.

"Why would I hurt you, Evie?" Mal questioned sincerely, taking a small, cautious step toward Evie and stopping when Evie's response was to back away. "I don't want you to suffer the way you are right now. I'm trying to help."

A light, bitter laugh escaped Evie before she could stop it. "I don't need your pity."

"I don't pity you," Mal retorted easily, eyebrows furrowing, suggesting that she was offended by the accusation. "I _like_ you. And I want to be your friend, okay? I did some really shitty things to you when we were growing up, and there's not a single moment of my life where I don't regret everything I did to you." Mal trailed off, her gaze averting to the trees as she awkwardly shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket, almost as if she were embarrassed that she was expressing her feelings. "I should have never done any of the things I did, you never deserved it. And… and I'm sorry, Evie. I really am."

The confession left Evie without words. She was confused as to why Mal was telling her all these things, if Mal even felt all of these things, and - if she did - _why_ she felt that way; Mal was Maleficent's daughter, and everyone knew her to be wickedly devilish. _Is this how Mal_ really _feels? Did she only act that way on the Isle because of the watchful eyes of her mother?_ There were so many things Evie wanted to question Mal about to find the truth of everything that was going on, but her lips remained sealed, and all she could do was stare at Mal in bewilderment, tears still slipping down her cheeks and her heart still echoing the beat of the fear coursing through her.

It was Mal who spoke next. "What can I do to make you give me a chance?"

"Okay," Evie decided, the single word spoken so quietly that Evie didn't believe the other girl had heard her.

But a bright, crooked smile appeared to grace Mal's features before Evie could speak more clearly. "Okay?"

Evie nodded the slightest bit. "Okay."

Something inside Evie's chest stirred as she watched the look of joy spread over Mal's face, brightening her features, and she found herself really noticing the girl for the first time without the fear of her there to cloud over her mind.

And she didn't think she had ever seen anything even half as beautiful as the girl standing before her.

From then on, Mal always sat with Evie. It didn't matter where they were - in class, at lunch, or in their dorm - Mal was barely ever more than an arm's length away. Evie didn't know if she would ever admit it to the girl but having Mal within reach whenever she needed her enveloped her in a sense of security she had never felt before. She stopped noticing all the disapproving looks she received from others all the time, she stopped paying attention to the people who mocked her in the hallways or in the dorm lobby. It was almost like they didn't exist. It was almost like Mal was the only one in the universe, her presence making Evie forget about the world around them, her friendship breathing a new sense of life into Evie until she truly believed she could fly.

It was a huge surprise how quickly getting everyone's attention and approval became something on the very bottom of her wish-list, but it was the most refreshing awakening Evie had ever experienced. Without the time wasted on pleasing everyone, she found pleasures in new things; she really loved chemistry, and she had begun sewing more outfits and finding more satisfaction in doing so now that she had someone else to design for as well as herself.

Whenever she presented a new outfit for Mal, the girl's cheeks would flush with a bright shade of pink as she told her she didn't have to make anything for her. But Evie never listened, she _loved_ designing clothes for her. There was something about the look in Mal's eyes when she did so that left her wanting to do it more and more, something about the way Mal almost appeared to genuinely _adore_ her that left her craving to see that look in her eyes more often. And so, she aimed to figure out every little thing that caused Mal to smile at her in the way that took her breath away, and it truly was a rush every time she received it. She wasn't entirely sure what any of this meant, having never felt this way before, but she did know that she wanted to return the feeling in any way she could; she wanted Mal to feel the way she was feeling, and she wouldn't rest until she knew Mal felt just as appreciated as she felt while bathed in her presence.

She felt as though nothing could break her anymore. She felt like an entirely different person with Mal by her side and all she wanted to do was scream to the world just how Mal made her feel. Yet, still, she didn't say anything, not even to Mal. For now, it was something for only her to know.

 _I used to be a flower on the wall in the back row_

 _Never was a homecoming queen, just a shadow_

 _But now, I've got a crown cause you gave it to me_

 _Cleopatra strong, yeah, you found it in me_

 _Throwing all the pages of the past out the window_

 _When you tell me that I'm beautiful: I feel it, I breathe it, believe it_

 _Got me feeling indestructible: I love it, I scream it_


End file.
